Livvy Dunne’s boyfriend Paul Skenes breaks the web as he flashes uncommon smile in USA victory… after viral response to award win
Paul Skenes sent fans into a frenzy on Monday night after showing rare emotion during the United States’ win against Mexico.
The Pittsburgh Pirates sensation, who became the first pitcher to win Rookie of the Year and then a Cy Young Award for 40 years last season, helped Team USA claim a 5-3 victory over their rivals in the 2026 World Baseball Classic.
And at one stage of the game, social media was left in disbelief when Skenes produced something extremely out of character: a smile.
Kansas City Royals star Bobby Witt Jr. was responsible for his rare grin after pulling off an incredible diving stop before throwing out a Mexico runner.
After Witt’s heroics, the camera then panned to a beaming Skenes in a moment which quickly went viral online.
One user said on X: ‘I’ve never seen Paul Skenes smile before’.
Paul Skenes sent fans into a frenzy after producing a rare smile in USA’s win over Mexico
‘This might be the first time I’ve ever seen Paul Skenes smile during a game lol,’ wrote another.
‘I’ve never seen skenes smile so big at anything,’ a third posted.
A fourth joked: ‘find you someone who looks at you the same way Paul Skenes looks at Bobby Witt Jr.’
While one even claimed: ‘Dude doesn’t even look at Livvy Dunne the way he looks at Bobby Witt Jr.’
Skenes, who has dated TikTok personality and former LSU gymnast Livvy Dunne since 2023, is notorious for his typical deadpan facial expressions even in joyous moments.
When he was crowned MLB’s Rookie of the Year in 2024, the Pirates pitcher famously looked completely unfazed while proud girlfriend Dunne celebrated next to him ecstatically.
He made up for that muted reaction when he won the Cy Young Award last year, nevertheless, after throwing his arms out and applauding alongside Dunne and his family.
The Pirates sensation was reacting to an insane play by teammate Bobby Witt Jr. (pictured)
Some fans joked that Witt Jr. got a bigger smile out of Skenes than girlfriend Livvy Dunne
Skenes’ girlfriend is regularly seen cheering him on from the stands at baseball games, but she was nowhere to be seen as USA got the better of Mexico on Monday night.
Dunne revealed on social media that she missed the game because she had to ‘work’.
‘Ya girls gotta work but… GO USA RAHHH,’ she captioned a video along with an American bald eagle emoji.
In the video, Dunne was seen holding up her man’s No. 30 jersey and jumping around animatedly with the caption: ‘Getting excited to watch your bf rep the USA’.
